| Sam Birrell | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | MP |
| Member of the Australian Parliament for Nicholls | |
| Term Start: | 21 May 2022 |
| Predecessor: | Damian Drum |
| Birth Date: | 1975 4, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Shepparton, Victoria, Australia |
| Party: | National |
| Occupation: | Agronomist |
| Alma Mater: | University of Melbourne La Trobe University |
Samuel Birrell (born 5 April 1975)[1] is a member of the Australian House of Representatives for the division of Nicholls in northern Victoria and a member of the National Party. In the 2022 Australian federal election, Birrell won a race between a Liberal Party candidate and independent candidate Rob Priestly. [2] [3]
Birrell grew up on a property on Victoria's Goulburn River between the towns of Murchison and Toolamba. His father was a lawyer and his mother was a schoolteacher. He attended Shepparton High School for two years then completed his secondary education as a boarder at Assumption College, Kilmore. After leaving high school, Birrell worked on a farm in Ardmona for two years before completing a degree in agricultural science at the University of Melbourne's Dookie campus.[4] He later completed an MBA at La Trobe University's Shepparton campus in 2017.[5]
After graduating university, Birrell worked as an agronomist for a rural supplies business, specialising in pest identification and soil and leaf analysis. He later worked for irrigation supplier Netafim.[4]
Birrell was appointed CEO of the Committee for Greater Shepparton in 2016. He resigned the position in 2021 to run for parliament.[6]
In January 2022, Birrell won Nationals preselection for the seat of Nicholls at the 2022 federal election, following the retirement of incumbent Nationals MP Damian Drum.[7] He retained Nicholls for the Nationals on a substantially reduced primary vote, with significant swings to the Liberal candidate Steve Brooks and independent candidate Rob Priestly.[8]
Birrell supported a Designated Area Migration Agreement (DAMA) for the Goulburn Valley.[9] In 2021 he appeared before a parliamentary inquiry into skilled migration, advocating for "an immediate global recruitment campaign to attract migrants with in-demand skills" to help fill job shortages in regional areas.[10]